Shoes shmoose.

RUNS: Had a truly fantabulous run with my hubby for over 6 miles on Wednesday. It is such a beautiful time of the year. The temps are reasonable and the humidity is down. Today it was overcast with a couple sprinkles of rain.

Thursday-rest day.

Im really struggling with shoes right now. I have several pairs that are great for shorter runs but I just cant seem to find a shoe that will work for 30+miles. My toes just get so beat up but if I go with the next 1/2 size up then I have issues with sliding around in the shoe. I have even tried different lacing technique and that helped some but I still dont think it is the solution. I did confirm that Stone Mills' trails are fairly non technical and that many just wear road shoes. That would be great except that I dont run roads enough to even have a road shoe! Sigh. I do think I have them narrowed down to two atleast. We will see with the upcoming 50k at Blues Cruise.

EATS: For breakfast I decided to switch it up and make some Oatmeal Pancakes! I forgot the vanilla and cinnamon that I usually add but they tasted great anyhow.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Lunches were the usual Veggies and Dip. PB graham crackers. Fruits. And Fig Newtons.

Another night instead of using the Kale Butter as a dip I put it on some Sweet Potatoes again. The combo is so awesome. Love it. Added a salad for a little more volume and an Orange for dessert.

Lunch

Rik made yet another dinner this week. Roasted Strawberry, Chickpea & Asparagus Couscous. Okay, he doesnt want to take all the credit for it, so he did  the prep work then I made the couscous and put it all together. Team work! We made it as per the recipe and it tasted great but we werent wild about the texture of the roasted strawberries and will keep them raw the next time. We just didnt like the mush factor.

Roasted Strawberry, Chickpea & Asparagus Couscous

Another dinner that I actually made entirely myself was a Spaghetti Squash topped with sauted Zucchini and Marinara Sauce. Easy peasy!

Spaghetti Squash w/ Zucchini & Marinara sauce

I think what made it taste so good was the fact that we got several spaghetti squashes from a friends garden!

I hope everyone is having a good week!
Are you ready for fall?!
Peace.

Running to the music.

RUNS: I ran around the Lakes again today. I bumped it up to 4.5miles for my come back week.

Trail 5

And I ran with music. I am off and on about the whole music thing. A few years ago I couldnt imagine running without an ipod and headphones. In fact, back in the day, I cancelled several runs when I got to the trail and realized my ipod battery was dead. Really?! Thats how ridiculous I was.

Then for some reason (and I dont remember why it was) I didnt want to run with headphones...at all. And I couldnt imagine running on the trails with them. I couldnt imagine not hearing the sounds of nature and all that was around me. Ahh, how things change!

Lately, I am somewhere in the middle. I always need them on for a road run. To boring to not have some kind entertainment! But on the trails I have noticed that I can drown out my horrific sounding breathing (asthma) with the music AND can run at a slightly faster pace with a much lower perceived exertion. I probably wear them less then half of the time that I am out there on the trails but I really seem to be digging them.

So needless to say, I like when the trails are closed to mountain bikers and dont have to worry about them coming up behind me and not hearing them. And not being able to get out of their way quick enough or at all before they scare me. I can just turn the music up and cruise! Today the trails were open to bikes so I had them in but on very low. Here is me rocking the earbuds :-)

Music

EATS: Until we got done our run today we were hungry starving and had to go pick up Dakota and stop at the store before we could go home and make dinner. It was already getting late and instead of a couscous salad I had planned to make, we ended up throwing together this...

Dinner

Actually, Rik threw it together while I jumped in the shower. The temps are starting to change and I was so chilly from being sweaty that a hot shower and warm food hit the spot.

Then I chopped up some red peppers and celery to pack for lunches. I packed us Veggies and Pita Chips to dip in the dressing and Hummus. Added an Asian pear for each of us and Fig Newtons for dessert.

Lunch

While I was packing those I decided I was STILL hungry and put together a Coco topped with Peanut Butter and Mini Chocolate Chips. I dont always do the chips but today they were a necessity! It was so good that I wanted a second one but stopped myself...I definitely didnt need it ;-)

Snack

Hope you are loving the change of weather as much as I am. It is a beautiful time of the year.
Peace.

I ran!

RUNS 1: I have not run for a whole week. Until today!

I dont know that I have ever gone that long without a run unless I was injured. But I tell you what...I think I really needed it. I think I was doing some type of nesting...or something. Maybe because of the change of seasons or because I was burned out briefly. All I know is that I really just wanted to be at home last week. I spent alot of time cleaning, laundry and just basically rearranging things. Over the past couple of months I have been clearing out things that we dont use anymore...or never have. I am trying to live as minimal as possible. Get rid of the clutter! I read alot (books, blogs, magazines, etc.). Then my kid came home from college for the weekend and it was more family time.

I have been in some kind of zen state this past week and just loving life.

RUNS 2:

I couldnt wait to get my run on today! I couldnt wait to get back out on the trails and just run. I did a short 3.5M trail at Lake Redman. My calves were not happy with the time off. They cramped so bad I had to stop and stretch mid run. The rest of me was just so glad to be out in the fresh air and moving!

The time off probably wasnt the best thing for my 50 mile training plan but I also dont think it threw me off to bad. We will see...

EATS: Breakfast before my run was the typical Rolled oats with dried fruit and Almond Coconut Milk.

Breakfast

Then Rik made us dinner which was Trader Joes Vegetable Masala Burger in a wrap with hummus and shredded broccoli and carrots. Let us not forget the sweet potato fries on the side! This has probably been my favorite dinner lately. It taste wonderful and probably even more so because Rik makes it :-)

Dinner

For lunches I packed us a Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad made with shredded brussels sprouts, shredded carrots, raisins, peanuts and a spicy peanut salad dressing. I dont think I put enough dressing on because the top sprouts were kind of dry but once I got about half way through, all of the goodness was on the bottom.
I also had Fig Newtons, Honey Crisp Apple, piece of chocolate and a Clif bar (White Choc Macadamia Nut).

Lunch

Peace.

No running. Just eating.

RUNS: Nothing since the race on Saturday. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. Nada.
Sunday was a rest day.
Monday sick.
Tuesday still a little sick and a whole lot of rain and wind out side.

So lets just move on shall we...

EATS: We ate out way to much this past week! I dont know what was up with that but they were all delicious meals indeed...

Black Bean burger and fries split with Rik because we also split chips and salsa between three of us! Dakota has wanted to go to Chilis for awhile now and we always decide on somewhere else because there just really isnt much anything for us to eat there. But we were in the same shopping center and he finally talked us into it since it was late and we were all quite hungry.

Chilis

After the race on Saturday I had a Grilled Veggie Quesadilla from Mexitaly. Its always a good time when we go there because a couple of my sons friends work there and they are so funny. It is always a nice friendly place though. Oh, and great food!

Post race Mexitaly

And last but not least of the meals out include my favorite...Wegmans! Sesame Tofu with fries, pasta salad and some kind of mushroom thing I tried from the hot veg bar. I really could have cared less about the other stuff but I love the tofu they have on their hot bar! I dont get to eat there very often as it is 45mins away but when we go, I make sure to get some. Dakotas little girlfriend even tried some and liked it. It was the first time she had ever had tofu. However, I should mention that she liked my Quinoa & Chive burgers better and that was the first time she had ever tried quinoa. I think I may be a bad influence ;-)

Wegmans

Oh look! I did actually make a dinner at home! Hawaiian Rice and Beans. Its made with rice, beans, spinach, red cabbage and pineapples. I do follow the recipe as is for this one. Very quick and easy for a tasty meal.

Homemade Dinner!

Lunches this week have included Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce.

Spring Roll

And Garden Vegetable Roll sushi with Brown Rice. Celery and dip. Grapes. And PB Graham Crackers.

Lunch

Okay. So hopefully the rest of this week goes a little better as I head back out for a run tomorrow since I am feeling much better. The sun will be out and the temps are perfect for running. AND I have dinners on the menu that I need to make before the ingredients go bad!! Have a good week :-)

Peace.

Gunpowder Keg Ultra Trail Race (FatAss 50k)

I attended this race last year (2011) and it was my first ever experience at an ultra event and my first time at this park. Being that it was a FatAss we went and ran only half of the race. It was held only 2 weeks after flooding of the area so there were lots of downed trees and debris all over the trails. Some of the trails even had to be rerouted. It was quite an experience and I couldnt wait to come back in 2012 to do the whole course!

Fast forward one year and I have a marathon and several ultra distance runs including a 45 miler two weeks before this race under my belt now. I am even more excited to run it this year as a training run for my first 50 miler coming up in November.

Gunpowder Keg Ultra is a FatAss run put on by Baltimore Road Runners club. It runs along the Gunpowder Falls River in a huge park consisting of over 18,000 acres. The race consists of two 15.5 mile loops with two aid stations that are pretty nicely stocked! Plus you pass your car at the start/finish as you head out for the second loop incase you need to stop for anything. It is basically all single and double track. I should mention that it is actually a 10.5 mile loop and a 5 mile loop that makes up the 15.5 mile loop. Get it? Good. Oh, and one more thing...the course is short. Everyone measured short last year and this year anywhere between 26-30 miles I think. Meh, who cares....its a fatass!

Typical Gunpowder Falls trail

I talked two friends into taking the trip down with Rik & I to run it this year. We all car pooled for the 45 minute drive down and got there nice and early. Signed our names on the paper and got ready to run! Weather couldnt have been nicer...chilly at the start and tank tops in the afternoon. Sun all day long!

It started at 8am with the RD giving us directions for anyone who wanted to run a shorter race, which I think just confused people not familiar with the park. He said, "ready, set, go" and we were off. Right away my friends and I let pretty much everyone go ahead of us onto the single track. We knew it was going to be a long day...why rush it.

Running was going well. Feeling good. I wore my hydration pack because I just wasnt sure at the start what all the AS would have and wanted to carry everything to be sure. The first section of trail is very nice single track with a couple of small ups and downs. We crossed a road onto a gradual uphill double track. Then down again. It pretty much went like this until we came to a creek crossing that we were able to pass with dry feet thanks to low water and stepping stones. We hit our first AS and went down onto a new trail that I have been on before but was closed in last years race because of the flooding.

This trail had two pretty big climbs that were followed with pretty big descents, the second one being a short section of road. Of course, as were are coasting down hill, three girls would chat and not pay 100% attention and we missed our turn. I knew we had missed it when the road started to head up again. I knew this was to much road for a trail run. Luckily a passerby stopped and he reoriented us with where we were in the park and we knew we need to turn around.

Before we even got to the bottom of the hill we could see the red flags AND spray paint! How did we miss that?! Only 10-15 mins and less then 1/2 mile later we are back on track. I will pay better attention from here on out! About two miles later we hit the flattest trail section of the race and can really cruise. Just make sure you pick up your feet because the trail is fairly narrow with alot of growth on either side and rocks and roots that pop up out of nowhere.

We get out to the road which is where the second (bigger) AS is. We refuel and stretch. Then head across the road for the 5 mile loop. This loop is more difficult and hilly then the previous trail. You can go either way on the loop so we have people coming at us several times on some pretty tight trails. We are still unsure of how far we want to run today and these hills arent helping the decision making process! Here are my girlfriends running through one of the very short field sections...

Sue

Sheri

We finally decide that we are going to run this 5 mile loop a second time now and then decide later about doing the big loop again. Sheri decided that she had had enough and left Sue & I to do the loop again. We decide to do it in reverse. Good choice! I dont know if it was true or not but counter clockwise seemed easier. We passed Rik coming at us at almost the end of this section which meant that he was almost done the entire race.
These are some of the pretty flowers that dotted the trails along the sides...

SO pretty!

We crossed back across the road again for the two mile trek back to the start/finish/car. During these miles we decide that we want to keep going and see how we feel. We have another 10ish miles. Can we do it?!

We spend a couple of minutes at the car to refuel, take some Ibuprofen and say Hi again to Rik who is now done with his race. Then we head back out unsure if we will do the whole big loop or not. See, I am now sticking with Sue the entire race because this is the furthest she has gone since double knee surgery two years ago. I will go as far as she wants to. She is feeling good and wants to keep pressing on. So we do. Here we are crossing the bridge that takes us back to the flat running section and we can start counting down the miles to the end...

Pretty pleased that we are now on the flat trails and we are cruising at about a 12mm pace which is awesome after twenty-some miles! It was probably the most enjoyable part of the entire race.

I know we are getting close to the last AS so I keep up the pace and figure she will catch up there. But I stopped to snap one last picture from the road looking down onto the trail...

I get into the AS and am so excited to see that they are still there and that there is food left! I immediately grab an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and it is the best cookie I have ever eaten!! What is even better is that one of the volunteers asks me if we are going to do the little loop and I tell him NO that we already did the little loop twice and that we are almost done. And EVEN BETTER YET is when he tells us there are a couple of people still over in that loop. WE ARE NOT IN LAST PLACE!

We take off from there for the two miles left to the end. They were pretty uneventful until we were hiking the last hill of  asphalt to the finish when I see someone running towards us from behind on the trail below. I tell Sue that I think someone is coming. At the same time we see Rik ahead and he says that someone is running behind us. Oh heck no...someone is not passing me at the finish now. I yell at Sue to run! I dont know where either of us found it in us to run the rest of that hill after 7 hours out on the trails. But we did. I wasnt going to let them pass me at the end, lol. It made for a fun finish!

We got done and were ecstatic and exhausted. We also decided that we didnt want to walk back down the awful hill to the bathrooms to change. So in the car it was.

Great, great race and volunteers. Its one of those FAs that are just as nice or nicer then a paid event. Very well marked. Will be back again next year.

Happy trails!

Bear Attacks, Burritos & Sesame Noodle Recipe!

RUNS: Rik & I decided we were going to run 10 miles today and then follow it up with burritos! We headed to Codorus and started our run as per usual. Only a couple miles into it I was not feeling so good so I looked at my Garmin to see what an awful pace I was running only to be surprised to see that it was a great pace and figured I must be pushing it to hard so I backed off. My running slowed and I began to feel worse. Here is a picture of the lake that the trails go around...

Lake Marburg

Usually we run a loop clockwise that ends up about 1/4mile from the car. Turn around and run it counter clockwise. Since I was feeling so bad I decided to cross the road at the end of the loop and head back to the car. As I was walking/running I continued to feel worse. A bear attack was imminent. (If you dont know what a "bear attack" is...it is that rumbling you get in your stomach when it isnt feeling to good and you need to find a bathroom or comfy spot off trail asap.) I was searching for nice area off trail and all of a sudden I see a port o' potty. I was never so glad to see one of those nasty things!

Inside on the door was a sign that said something about donating money to sponsor the port o' potty. If you donate $80 that covers one month and they will advertise you or your business for the whole year. I told Rik that I seriously need to donate to cover that port o' potty. It saved the day!! Afterward I continued back to the car and ended up with 6.5 miles instead of 10. I still wasnt feeling to good but I was just glad to be done!

Codorus trails

Lake to the Right

Of course the boys still wanted burritos so we decided to go home and shower first and then head out for dinner. Roburritos is the best local place to eat after a good workout. I get the mini Bean Burrito. Awesome. Even with an upset stomach...

Mini Bean Burrito. Chips. Salsa.

EATS: Other dinners of the week include...
PIZZA!!

Mexican Pizza

SESAME NOODLES AND VEGGIES (adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod, Last Minute Sesame Noodles)
6 servings

8oz Soba Noodles
1/4cup Soy Sauce
1Tbs Sesame Oil
1Tbs Canola Oil
1Tbs Rice Vinegar
1/2tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
1/4cup Cilantro, chopped
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1/4 head Red Cabbage, sliced thin
2 whole Carrots, shredded
1 1/2cups Shelled Edamame, cooked
1/4cup Toasted Sesame Seeds

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Rinse under cold water.

To make dressing, whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, vinegar, crushed red pepper in a bowl.

Combine noodles, veggies, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds. Add dressing and toss to coat.

Enjoy!



Leftovers make good lunches...eaten cold or warmed in the microwave...

Lunch

Peace.

RUNning & Cleaning out the fridge

RUNS: Well it is onto week 11 training for Stone Mill 50M.

After a week of no Garmin wearing, riding my bike, walking and shuffling around the trails a few times....its time to do some real running again!

Monday I ran 5.5 miles around Lake Williams. There were several trees down and trail 2 was closed because of downed trees and power lines. Overall a good run considering it was my first run over 3 miles in a week. Felt good but later I felt like I had run many more miles and many more hills then I actually did! I did alot of stretching and rolling to try to help with that.

Tuesday I was still feeling really sore (muscles only) so I decided to add some hills since thats what my body felt like I did the day before anyhow! Ran 6.5 miles around Rocky Ridge. My right knee was tight at the start so I was going to just do a shorter run but then it loosened up and was fine. My pace is still pretty slow but I can tell it was better then even the day before. Muscles still sore...especially the glutes. More stretching and rolling!

EATS: Breakfasts have been the usual...Rolled oats. Dried fruit. Coconut almond milk.

Breakfasts

Of course, Dakota wont eat that so he talked me into making some Banana Nut Bread for him for breakfasts. And I ended up making the Vegan Banana Hawaiian Muffins into a bread this time as well. Breakfast and snacks are covered!

Banana Nut Bread

Lunches have been the typical...Dips (Kale butter) & Hummus. Veggies. Fruit. CHOCOLATE!

Lunch

We have avoided the grocery store this week by using up things in the fridge and freezer! Dinners have included this awesome new addiction of ours...Trader Joes Vegetable Masala Burger. It is so delicious! I have seen them for years but the package is unappealing and have avoided trying them. I have heard reviews about how versatile and good they were so we finally tried them a few weeks ago and they did not disappoint.

This time we cooked them up in a pan on the stove and Rik broke them up as they were cooking. Then added them to pitas with hummus and lettuce. Rik added A1 sauce to one of his. He claims it was pretty good as well.

We also had leftover Carrot & Chive Quinoa patties (made with only a few mods) from our camping trip over the weekend. I didnt have anymore lettuce to wrap them so I just had them plain, eaten with a fork! I added some sweet potato fries because I am on a HUGE sweet potato kick lately. Especially the fries. I would have had just the fries...again...but wanted to use up the patties before they went bad. I think I am good with the beta-carotene dont ya think?!

Leftovers for dinner.

Peace.

Susquehanna Super Hike - Volunteer Edition

As it would go, I ran my race last week of 45 miles so there was no way I would be able to run again this weekend. Especially not 28.4 miles on the Mason-Dixon and Conestoga Trails! No way! So Rik decided he was going to run and I would volunteer. It ended up that I ho-hummed around at registering to volunteer when I saw my good friend Leon at the race the week before and he said he could use some help at his Aid Station that he was manning with Backcountry Edge. I was in!

The Super Hike is a point to point race that starts on the York side of the Susquehanna River at Otter Creek Campground. Follows the Mason-Dixon Trail down to Holtwood Dam and crosses Norman Wood Bridge and then follows the Conestoga trail north to Pequea Campground. It draws a good mix of trail runners and hikers with a max of 500 people.

We have camped at Otter Creek several times so we opted to stay at Pequea campground this weekend. Got there Friday early evening and was pleasantly surprised to see so many other people that were setting up for the weekend. Since this is the finish for the race, it is also where people would be parking Saturday morning to be bused over to the start. So there were many people in a group parking area that seemed to be just sleeping in their cars and trucks for the night. There was a very cool vibe in the campground because of this!

We headed to bed at a decent hour but the alarm went off at 4:30...way to early! Got ready and made our way over to Otter Creek before 6am. It was so awesome to see so many people catching the buses for the ride over but glad I wasnt one of them!

Rik got signed in and we met up with a bunch of friends that were all running that day. There were predicted storms for the day and this morning it was indeed very overcast, humid and just generally ominous looking.

The crowd at the start.

Fast guys up front.

They got started right on time at 7am! The race starts with about a 5mile loop on trails around the campground. Here is Rik and Brian finishing up the first loop.

Still smiling!

After that I headed down to Lock 12 to where I would be volunteering. This is also Checkpoint 2 and about 15.5 miles into the race. I got down there before 8:30 and we werent expecting runners until after 9 so I helped set up the tents and get things ready. Then I set up my chair since my job for the day was to check in runners as they passed.

Sure enough, not much past 9 and the first runner comes in! No surprise it was my friend Jesse who was the favorite to win this day. He refilled and quickly moved on his way. The next runner to come through was another friend and favorite of the day, Josh. He was about 12 mins behind the leader and looked great too.

I checked a couple of more runners through that I knew...Scott, Chad, etc. And then came Rik along with Brian and Paul! There were two girls running together who were doing pretty good but cant remember if they were before or after Rik. Either way, they were doing pretty awesome! My friend Cassie was the third female to come through...and she even ran 50 miles in the race last weekend with me! Badass chick!!

Once those front runners came through things started to get busy! With 400 runners coming through our check point it got quite busy at times! It was most busy when they came in groups which made it difficult to make sure we were able to get all their correct numbers before quickly sending them on their way. Thank goodness a guy named Adam came over to chat and ended up staying with me for hours and helping check people in! I would have been in trouble without his help. As time went on we started fielding DNFs. And alot of family members asking if so and so came through yet. We even had the HAM (?) radio guys there who we were working with and communicating to other points throughout the race. It was all very well organized.

Busy Aid Station/Check point 2

The forecast was different then expected in that many people were worried about rain and storms during the day and instead they were dealing with a very humid day. The skies began to clear and the sun came out. It heated up even more and the people coming in were looking more ragged. Many continued on but many decided to call it a day here at the 15.5 mile mark.

Our cut off for this check point was 1:30. And by 1:30 I realized that I was extremely hungry and thirsty. There was no shade left where I had been stationed...we kept moving to find more until there was none left. Until I was done I couldnt see straight from looking at so many numbers! I could only imagine how those runners and hikers were feeling. By the time I left, there were over 19 people waiting for rides back to the finish area to their cars.

I headed back to the finish area to find Rik. When I got there I was surprised to find out that Jesse was hurting and dropped which left Josh to take home the win for the day. Josh, Scott, Chad and Rik were all standing together when they told me that they (all York guys that often run together) had taken the top 4 spots!!!

I didnt stick around long. I head up to the campsite to grab something to eat. I came back down just as the rain started. It cleared out alot of people. Good thing the pavilion was pretty big and had garage doors on the side because it stormed pretty hard. Yes, there were still people out on the trails and coming in to the finish! In fact, by the time it started storming and raining, I believe less then 50 people had finished. Which means there were alot of people out in that storm. We cheered even louder for them as they came running in!   Many of them said that the rain was a nice relief from the heat of the day.

Overall it was a great day. Things seemed to go well for the race and the runners. The heat and humidity seemed to be the worse and there was just one area that runners were saying that they really could have used another water stop.

After party the runners got to enjoy fruit smoothies and iced coffee drinks from the Sheetz truck as well as hot dogs, hamburgers, kale & bean soup, macaroni salad, brownies, drinks from Turkey Hill, etc. They seemed happy :-)

Since it was still raining and it was getting crowded in the pavilion we headed up to the campsite and a couple of friends came back for a bit for a couple of cold drinks and to share stories about the race.

Rik, Gary & Greg- proud finishers!!

If you are thinking about doing this race...do it! It is tough but the rewards of saying that you did it are just awesome! You could just see the sense of accomplishment on every persons face that crossed the finish line. You have a whole 12 hours to do it. You can do it. I hope to join in the fun next year!

Vegan Hawaiian Banana Muffins

RUN: 3.3 miles on trail 3 at Lake Redman.

Where was everyone at today?? Trails were closed to bikes and everyone must be tapering or recovering because they sure werent running! I ran around 7pm and I was eating webs! I usually only need to worry about that at 7AM!

Run was okay. Felt a little bit of soreness at my right ITB or quad...not sure which. I could tell a HUGE difference between the trail shoes I wore tonight and the Hokas I wore the other night. I dont care what anyone says...those Hokas are an awesome shoe for recovery.

Rest day on Friday and not sure about the weekend yet...

EATS: Every day this week for breakfast has been the same. These Vegan Hawaiian Banana Muffins!

Breakfast

They are delicious with the coconut and macadamia nuts! I adapted this recipe for a bread.

VEGAN HAWAIIAN BANANA MUFFINS
12 muffins

2 mashed bananas
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
5 TBS vanilla soy yogurt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin pan.

Mix together-sugar, applesauce, vanilla and yogurt.

Add mashed bananas.

Then add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix.

Finally, fold in the nuts and coconut.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with batter and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

Hawaiian Banana Muffin

Lunches have been pretty much the same all week as well. Detox Salad. Fruit and yogurt. PB Nutty Spread on graham crackers or apple.

LUNCH!

Im going camping this weekend which should be a blast! See ya on the flip side!
Peace.

Recovery & Kale Butter

RUNS: I did a 2.5 mile walk/run yesterday to check things out and I felt pretty darn good during the workout but was more sore after then before I started...go figure. Today I rode my bike 15 miles to give my toes a break yet. They got pretty beat up running 45 miles, wet, in the wrong shoes for the trails.

Eww!!

It gettin' dark so early!

EATS: Super Summer Salads for dinner!

Tis the season for some fresh corn on the cob! I stopped at one but trust me...I wanted more!

Another dinner...I was able to get Dakota to eat tempeh because it was broke up pretty fine in this dish and mixed in with pasta, beans, diced tomatoes and spices.

Tempeh Chili Mac

But he was not interested in trying this...

Kale Butter

Trust me. I had trouble thinking it looked good enough to eat too. But I caved to peer pressure and made it. I put it on sweet potatoes and it was great! It was surprisingly sweet and nutty. The idea is that I want to use it as a dip but wanted to try it as a topping first to be safe. I dont know where they get the idea of it as a "butter" but that is what gave me the idea to put it on a potato. So it worked, lol.

Kale Butter on Sweet Potato

Just some of my dinners this week. Hopefully I will post more meals tomorrow and report of a first "real" run since the ultra....we will see...

Peace.